Overall love - Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Real Life Review

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

Things I love so far from my hands on experience. The more squared corners. I feel the note should be almost flat and I feel they met that. The size of the screen. 6gb ram. Water proof. Even more refined S pen and the new features. Of course the Qhd Oled screen.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

No physical home button. Taller than Note 5. Narrow screen.
Played with it at the store and honestly don't like it. If Nokia 8 or Oneplus 5 included a real wacom pen (a k a S-Pen) I would jump ship.

thankyouxda said:
No physical home button. Taller than Note 5. Narrow screen.
Played with it at the store and honestly don't like it. If Nokia 8 or Oneplus 5 included a real wacom pen (a k a S-Pen) I would jump ship.
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I'm not a fan of the skinny phone trend either. I had the Note 7 for close to 2 months and I've spent some time playing around with the s8+ while anticipating the arrival of the Note 8. I haven't seen the Note 8 in person yet, but based on the screen ratio I'm going to be disappointed just like I was with the Note 7. I preordered on day 1 because I love Note phones, but it's definitely not the ideal phone. If they had made the phone ratio 16:9 based on the current height, they could've fit a larger battery in it. I'm not asking for a huge phone, maybe as wide as the Note 3, 4, or 5. They seem to be trying to make it a one-handed phone for people with small hands, when in reality it's meant to be a 2-handed phone to begin with. I had problems launching apps in pop-up window on the Note 7. The S-pen couldn't find the starting point with the curved screen. Anyway, the skinny phone with the curved edge just makes the screen way too narrow.

I hear some of the complaints from people who haven't physically played with it, which I can't understand. I've actually played with this phone and I must say this is one gorgeous device! The new S-pen features are awesome! Camera, display and overall design is amazing! I love Samsung because they continue to impress me Note after Note after Note. I've owned every one and they just keep getting better and better. There is things that I wish they would add like a bigger battery and stereo speakers but you can't have it all, overall I am satisfied.

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I say, keep the current height and stretch the width to 16x9. Huge screen, more battery. Just like the Note SHOULD be.

I am not so much concerned about a "thin" phone, but a phone that is comfortable to hold. The race for the thinnest phone is crazy, I mean the end of the road is having a chip implanted under your skin, which some companies are already doing.
I am more of less concerned that the battery is too small for this phone and the lack of a 128 or 256gb model + the card slot. Second would be the screen protector issue with the curved screens.

I have big hands and can operate my current Note 4 without problems. I hope my Note 8 (when it arrives) is just as big.

I got mine yesterday and so far I'm loving it. I had an S8+ but it was worth the upgrade. (I have T-Mobile's JOD).
Cheers!

Not as big as I feared
I have really small hands, and I was afraid the phone would be too hard to hold but I haven't felt that way. I've had it three days, lot of setting it up, tweaking it, etc. It's a two handed phone. I generally use the iris scanner which is faster than on the Note 7, so the placement of the fingerprint sensor doesn't bother me as much as it might. It's a beautiful phone, a pleasure to look at things on, and has some really cool little tricks--I can't express how great it is to pair up my budget program and the calculator and have them both up at the same time in a really convenient form.. I've only played a little with the camera but it did a great job of capturing a still image of my two year old grandson who rarely stops moving, without any blur, and the video I took came out really clear and focused on him. The battery life is so-so so far, but it's gotten a work out, during the setting up. I think it's a great phone, and I am definitely falling in love..

Overall.... EXCELLENT phone. However, Hate that the nav bar isn't customizable. Full Screen apps don't have translucent background... This really sucks for me

Angel0fDeath said:
I got mine yesterday and so far I'm loving it. I had an S8+ but it was worth the upgrade. (I have T-Mobile's JOD).
Cheers!
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Smaller battery, but an added spen. The note used to be different from the s series. I think Samsung f'd up this time.

Um, why do all the previous videos and reviews I've seen not mention how far Bixby actually controls the phone? It destroys Siri and GA. I'm blown away once I was shown this. Yea, it does all that typical question stuff pretty normally, nothing special and not as good as Google. But what you can chain together and control on the phone blew me away. I actually get having this and Google going at once, which seemed like a typical samsung waste to me when I picked this up. Probably not news for you coming from S8 etc.
By reviews I mean these Siri vs Google vs Bixby videos where they just ask them the king of France or to rap for them or tell a horrible joke. Why not show that you can control the entire phone by voice haha.

Steigerelli said:
I'm not a fan of the skinny phone trend either. I had the Note 7 for close to 2 months and I've spent some time playing around with the s8+ while anticipating the arrival of the Note 8. I haven't seen the Note 8 in person yet, but based on the screen ratio I'm going to be disappointed just like I was with the Note 7. I preordered on day 1 because I love Note phones, but it's definitely not the ideal phone. If they had made the phone ratio 16:9 based on the current height, they could've fit a larger battery in it. I'm not asking for a huge phone, maybe as wide as the Note 3, 4, or 5. They seem to be trying to make it a one-handed phone for people with small hands, when in reality it's meant to be a 2-handed phone to begin with. I had problems launching apps in pop-up window on the Note 7. The S-pen couldn't find the starting point with the curved screen. Anyway, the skinny phone with the curved edge just makes the screen way too narrow.
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Writing this from a Note 8 now. Upgraded from a Note 4 that was on its last legs. The screen is the same width, just taller. I can put a TPU case in it and it's the same width as the Note 4 in hand. The aspect ratio doesn't effect the screen width, just the height. There is a very small area on the edges of the screen that would be hard to write on, but if you liked the Note 4 you'll LOVE this phone. I certainly do.
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Kil4Thril said:
I say, keep the current height and stretch the width to 16x9. Huge screen, more battery. Just like the Note SHOULD be.
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NO. NO. NO. It would be ridiculous at this height and a 16:9 ratio. It would be a straight up tablet.
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TexasAggie97 said:
I have big hands and can operate my current Note 4 without problems. I hope my Note 8 (when it arrives) is just as big.
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I made the same upgrade. You'll friggin' love it. LOVE IT.
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JameyS said:
Overall.... EXCELLENT phone. However, Hate that the nav bar isn't customizable. Full Screen apps don't have translucent background... This really sucks for me
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Just download Navbar Apps from Google Play. You'll be all set.
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suzook said:
Smaller battery, but an added spen. The note used to be different from the s series. I think Samsung f'd up this time.
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It's considerably different from an S8.
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All I want now is root so I can get Adaway on this thing. I had NO IDEA how many ads were on the internet! Lol. Haven't seen them in years. It's friggin' ridiculous.

Let me suggest using Seven AdClear. Free. Uses a local on your phone VPN to block ads from everything. It's wonderful. Google search, it's blocked on the Play store.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I love my note 8. I had the note 7 and loved that one till I had to turn it back in and got the V20. I am done with LG. Coming from the V20 is like going from a Toyota to a Mercedes.
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guthrien said:
Um, why do all the previous videos and reviews I've seen not mention how far Bixby actually controls the phone? It destroys Siri and GA. I'm blown away once I was shown this. Yea, it does all that typical question stuff pretty normally, nothing special and not as good as Google. But what you can chain together and control on the phone blew me away. I actually get having this and Google going at once, which seemed like a typical samsung waste to me when I picked this up. Probably not news for you coming from S8 etc.
By reviews I mean these Siri vs Google vs Bixby videos where they just ask them the king of France or to rap for them or tell a horrible joke. Why not show that you can control the entire phone by voice haha.
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I can't get bixby to do ****. If I say send text message to Joe, it won't open up a text screen. If I say call joe it won't do it. I can't figure out what it can do. And it doesn't want to use Verizon's message app. It wants to use Samsung's. Google doesn't care what you use.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

guthrien said:
Let me suggest using Seven AdClear. Free. Uses a local on your phone VPN to block ads from everything. It's wonderful. Google search, it's blocked on the Play store.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
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How is that on battery? I've used local vpn ad blockers before, and they seem to be battery killers.
The only reasons that I still want root is to install an ad blocker and to be able to work out and kill stupid wakelocks. If I could find a way to do these without root, then this would be perfect.

I've had mine since 9-07. I still have my Note 7. Wow. Incredible screen clarity, Screen scrolls are smooth as glass, and this thing is fast.
It keeps growing on me and I haven't even put a sim in it yet. Case and screen protectors come tomorrow than out with the 7 and in with the Grrrrr 8.

Related

Quick review of the Note 5

So I was at Best buy and played with the 5 for an hour. I tested it side by side with my Note 4. I ran a number of apps and it is a little quicker than the 4, but not in any wow factor way. Camera did open faster and the left multitasking didn't have the lag that my Note 4 has. The screen is slightly more saturated, but again, not really significantly. Side by side they look the same, in fact it's really hard to see the difference (especially if it was in a case).
Exterior is nice and it is slightly narrower, but unfortunately my fingers kept sticking to the glass back.
The 6+ is nice, and I like the new side launcher. Both devices are just supersized s6 and s6 edges.
Feels like when a car company goes from its 2014 to 2015 model. It's basically the same with a few bells and whistles.
Aside from SD and no removable battery (which are probably deal killers for me anyway), I could not justify buying this device unless the price was $450. Then I would put up with the compromise of no sd and changeable battery. But no way I would spend $850-900, especially with other offerings coming up. I bet I am not alone here.
Nothing out there today is a step up from the note 4, for me anyway. This should have been the note 4. I think Samsung has a problem on its hands. I hope I am wrong.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
You're def not alone...i have the Note Edge and I've been dying for the N5 release. Truthfully I'm not very happy with the Edge and wanted to go back to a regular phone. I cant get away from Multi window as i use it every day and i love the spen so it was go back to N4 or wait for the N5. Needless to say i waited and am pretty dissapointed with the battery and sd situation. I think i will still try it out and bring it back within the 15 days if i dont like it and maybe jump to a plain N4. How could they lower the mah to 3000 it just boggles my mind. I have a 24,000mah anker battery but one of the reasons i get every note is so i dont look like an Iphone user trying to find a plug ? at restareas, bus stops, etc...the sd im not too worried about with the 64 model plus a flashdrive i can make do but the battery is just simply dissapointing. I may be judging prematurely but im basing my judgement on the S6 battery life which has the same exynos chip less mah but also a smaller screen and less features so im guessing it will balance out and be about the same as the s6 which from my understanding is sub par to begin with. As for them using the glass as an alternative to plastic and calling it a superior build quality, does anyone use their phone without a cover and if you do will you now with glass? You wont even see the back so they could have just as easily used a removable titanium, aluminum, plastic back instead of glass...im just dissapointed plain and simple
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Hopefully ill get 7,8 hrs sot and ill change my mind...i use to get 8 to 10 sot with my N3 running Tweaked rom and Lean Kernel, now with Edge i get 3 to 4 hrs sot..we'll c i guess
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This is a good sign tho....put a smile on my face
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=62324314

For the ones who ACTUALLY have the device

What's everyone's personal opinion on the device after having it for a couple of days? I'm picking one up regardless but I was just curious about the initial reviews and not just from all the hate threads about removable battery and expendable storage.
Why not read the many reviews now available online ? Reviewers from tech sites are no different to asking people here - just subjective opinions from strangers, and as you are intending to purchased one regardless ...
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nookcoloruser said:
Why not read the many reviews now available online ? Reviewers from tech sites are no different to asking people here - just subjective opinions from strangers, and as you are intending to purchased one regardless ...
Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk
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Because a message board allows people to interact rather than just read. It's a two way conversation rather than just one way.
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It's de definitely snappier when changing screens or apps. Don't know how much that is 5.1.1 or the newer hardware.
We have both the note 5 and the s6 edge plus in our house, and both of us agree the edge plus in s a nicer phone. The Note 5 just barley feels like an upgrade to the Note 4. We use cases so the glass back is pointless. Unless you have to have the stylus, go with the S6 Edge Plus, in my opinion.
crowlaw said:
It's de definitely snappier when changing screens or apps. Don't know how much that is 5.1.1 or the newer hardware.
We have both the note 5 and the s6 edge plus in our house, and both of us agree the edge plus in s a nicer phone. The Note 5 just barley feels like an upgrade to the Note 4. We use cases so the glass back is pointless. Unless you have to have the stylus, go with the S6 Edge Plus, in my opinion.
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I honestly haven't put much thought into the Edge+ because I do use my stylist a couple times a day. I also heard the screen is a gimmick and some reviewers say it gets old after a while, might have to check one out in the stores.
I love the battery compared to the note 4. Standby time is amazing even though i have lots of installed apps and autosync on.
I'm enjoying mine quite a bit. It's my first Note, and really my first Samsung. I technically had the S6 edge for 2 weeks, but I returned it so I could get the Note 5, and because I didn't like the way it felt in my hand.
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Absolutely wonderful.
The software is amazing the most sophisticated piece of "equipment" I've very had. The keyboard fits my hands now. The battery is so amazing. I am blown away.
The camera is what I've always wanted in a phone now I have something to hopefully learn with. I am not missing anything. I actually believe I will be able to quit fiddling with things and learn with this this thing.
Note 5 here
crowlaw said:
It's de definitely snappier when changing screens or apps. Don't know how much that is 5.1.1 or the newer hardware.
We have both the note 5 and the s6 edge plus in our house, and both of us agree the edge plus in s a nicer phone. The Note 5 just barley feels like an upgrade to the Note 4. We use cases so the glass back is pointless. Unless you have to have the stylus, go with the S6 Edge Plus, in my opinion.
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Aren't there any cases with curved backs that mimic the note5's design?
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TechAnimal said:
Aren't there any cases with curved backs that mimic the note5's design?
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I have the Ringke Slim Crystal Clear and it follows the phone's curves.
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In partial to the note since I have owned all 5! It is truly a great phone.. Awesome build, super fast, great camera, fingerprint sensor is very fast, perfect screen, and as always in an spen guy so that's awesome too.
Battery life is a good as the 4 for me and I'm a super power user.
Excellent phone imo
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This is my first Note, but certainly not my first large Android phone. I've had dozens of Android phones going all the way back to the OG T-Mobile G1. My most recent phone was the OnePlus One which I carried for a year and was very happy with.
As for the Note... I LOVE it! The screen is truly breathtaking, even coming from the OnePlus One which had a great screen. The camera is seriously what I've been waiting for since 2008... THIS is how a phone camera should be. The fingerprint reader is pretty cool and it's the first time I've ever used a security lockscreen on a phone and been happy with it. Battery life has been on par/maybe slightly better than the OnePlus One which had 100mah more capacity.
One thing that caught me totally off guard is how many software features this phone has that I've never seen in any other Android. My last Samsung was a S3, so TouchWiz has changed a lot since those days.
With all that said, this is the first Android phone I've had in AGES with a locked bootloader and no modding community. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I didn't realize this was the case until after my order had been placed. There are some things from custom roms that I immediately miss and wish I could get back like: double tap to wake, silent volume adjustment, linked ringtone and notification volumes(I did fix this with Tasker), and some others.
Another thing I'm bummed about... the clear cover over the camera flash and pulse sensor is made of crappy plastic and mine has scratches all over it already just from wiping it off with my Tshirt. Really bummed about this. I usually keep my phones looking brand new for at least 8-10 months and this one is scratched in 3 days.
Although there's been a lot of comparison criticisms between the Note 4 and Note 5, the Note 5 exceeds the note 4. One of the complaints is the 3000mah battery. While the Note 4 does have more (3250mah), the Note 5 actually outlasts the Note 4. This is both measured AND real-time use. So, while in some cases "size matters", efficiency is what comes into play with the Note 5. I also just read that the Note 5 has the best display of ALL smartphones currently on the market. I think most negative criticisms of the Note 5 is spec based and not real-time use based. WhIle some may think Samsung focused more on hardware, they did come up with a more efficient and better functioning device with the Note 5.
I had the note 3 back then, jumped on the Apple boat, and a few more devices including the oppo find 7a. But after much thinking, I was aiming for the edge plus, but considering I like to jot down stuff instead of typing, I went ahead and chose the note 5. Besides that, the camera allows you to almost control all settings manually which is a big plus for us photographers. Also, you still get the awesome tricks with the gestures and such. The battery life to me seems average, even though it has the qhd display, it holds its ground against similar screen phones.
Charging is very quickly now compared to my other phones. The body is quite a new style, and much more pro looking.
Overall great phone, but it comes down to personal choice if you want to choose this or the edge plus. Good luck!
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I sent mine back. I've had a lot of phones, and I've never sent one back. The main reasons I bought it were, in order of importance: 1) Fingerprint reader 2) Better
camera 3) Better display.
The fingerprint reader didn't work great for me. I found it just about as annoying as having to enter a pin or gesture unlock.
I have an LG G3, so I'm used to big phones, but this thing feels so heavy, and is just big enough that it doesn't fit in places where my G3 does.
The display and camera are nice, but not incredibly better (I know lots of people complain about the G3 display, but I think it's fine if you turn the brightness up).
I like the fact that the people who own one, are really liking their device. The Note 4 got a good amount of negative feedback when it was first announced but nothing like the 5. Like most cases, it's easy to point out flaws before even testing the device. On the way now to Verizon to pick mine up.
64g Black is what I'm going for. What did everyone else get?
I had the S6 edge before this phone and honestly its killing the Note 5 for me. The screen on the S6 seems more vibrant and clear than on the Note5. Also somehow the camera (which im told is the same on both phones) seems to take better low light pics with the galaxy vs the note. The differences are small and its still a great phone but i may end up back with the S6... Im gonna give it a few more days and see how i feel
Was told last Friday not to pre-order because I wouldn't receive my device until past 8/24 and was guaranteed that the Verizon stores around me would have 64g Friday morning. Turns out none around me have them... Thanks Verizon!
Been enjoying the phone a lot recently after switching from my iPhone 6 Plus and being on Apple phones ever since the iPhone 4. The only issue I have is apparently my battery life is bad because I used to get through a full day with my iPhone and would have roughly 30% left when I went to sleep. I've been finding out recently that I have to charge the Note 5 during the day in order to last as long. The system predicts my battery will be dead by 9 PM tonight which I thought was kinda short.. I'm not a super heavy user so I don't know what's causing it to die quicker than normal, nothing in power usage hints at what it is either..
scoppola said:
I have an LG G3, so I'm used to big phones, but this thing feels so heavy, and is just big enough that it doesn't fit in places where my G3 does.
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Note5
153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm
G3
146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm
a difference of (+)7.1 x (+)1.5 x (-)1.3 mm from the G3. The width should feel essentially the same, 1.5mm difference is going to be close to imperceptible. 7mm extra height is enough for you to notice, but not enough to really make a difference for most people. and it's thinner so it should fit in pockets or slim places easier.
The only major difference is weight, 149g vs 171g.
I'm not sure why you seem to think the note5 is bigger because it is, but by 7.1mm at the most compared to the G3, I dont know if I believe you when you say it doesn't fit in the same places as the G3, a difference of 7mm shouldnt be enough to do that.

Waiting for my Nexus 6p to arrive

I have always loved the Note Series from Samsung. At the beginning of the year I was using the Note 4, eagerly anticipating the release of the Note 5. I was disappointed with the removal of the SD card & removable battery, but to my surprise, the battery life on it was one of the longest I've used on a smart phone. Bought the Note 5 during the promotion they had at BestBuy where you would get a $200.00 gift card for buying a Note 5. Long story shorty, i traded my 32gb Note 5 for a 64gb S6 Edge+ (which i regretted almost immediately). From there, i sold my S6E+ and bought a Nexus 5X. I wanted to like the phone so bad, but was disappointed in the performace. I mean, I guess I took for granted the sheer processing power that the Note 5 & S6E+ had, cause I've got some serious lag on my Nexus 5x. Running certain apps definitely slows down the 5x big time, whereas the S6E+ didn't even blink an eye. Originally, I wanted to go with the Nexus 6p, but it was WAY more expensive on Amazon (for the free financing - it was around 600 for 32gb, where the 5x was on sale for $329.00), but did not due to it almost doubling the price of the 5x.
My question for you guys that have owned the high-end Samsung phones and/or 5x, is how is the performance in comparision to the 6p. The last Nexus phone I had was the Nexus 5, and even though I know the 5x is a better spec'd phone, for some reason, even though it's been over a year since i've had the original Nexus 5, the 5 was more appealing to me than my current 5x.
I miss the features from Samsung phones such as split screen, sidesync and other features that touchwiz offered. Are you guys happy with the switch from Samsung?
The one thing i truly love about my 5x, though is the awesome camera. Even tough a lot of tech blogs rate the Note/Edge phones as top performers as far as camera quality goes, I feel as though the 5x produces a sharper picture with less noise.
What are you pros/cons going from Samsung Phone to the Nexus 6p? I just hope I am not disappointed with the 6p as I am the 5x
The 5x is not a high end phone the 6P is.
I've owned multiple flagship phone including Samgung, LG and Motorola.
I like this phone the best. Premium build, etc....
Most of all, I like no carrier bloat and an unlocked bootloader.
I have both the 6p and Note 5 in my posession right now. I've had the Note 5 since launch and the 6p for a week. The 6p is going back.
Between the two phones there is a lot to do with personal preference. First of all I love the multi window function and can't live without it, but others may not use it at all. I personally use it for two very important things. When I'm watching lengthy videos on Youtube I can have the phone in portrait with the video playing on the top half of the screen while I use chrome on the bottom half to research what I am watching. Again, some people may have no need for this. Also, I play a couple games a lot and it is a REAL pain having to exit a game just to reply to a text. Google messenger has quick reply, but only in portrait mode and it's not the same as a floating window that you can minimize at anytime which gives you full access to the app. Also something that others may not care about, but important to me. The pen I like as well and surprisingly use it for all kinds of stuff. My real estate agent sends me electronic documents to sign all the time and its a breeze using the pen rather than my stupid finger.
As far as performance goes, the 6p scored higher overall on 3dmark, but the Note 5 won in certain areas. In real world testing however the Note 5 seemed to launch apps a bit faster and there seems to be slightly less lag in gaming. I will point out that I have a rooted Note 5 with a custom kernel and the Nexus is on a custom rom with kernel as well, so take these results with a grain of salt.
Now heres the good part. The Nexus 6p is flawed out of the box (the Note 5 isn't perfect either). The Nexus has audio imbalance from the top and bottom speaker, which is annoying when watching videos in landscape. I corrected this with a custom kernel and adjusted the gain between the two to balance it out. I then noticed it wasn't bright enough in direct sunlight, so I also corrected that using my custom kernel and enabling "high brightness mode". This got the screen even brighter than the Note 5 is capable surprisingly. It sucks that I have to manually toggle it when I go outside rather than it automatically do it like the Note 5 does. I can live with these annoyances, because I can fix them.
Heres what I can't fix and why the phone is going back. The auto brightness on this phone does not work in low light conditions. I have removed the stock autobrightness of the phone and took it over with Lux, and it still did not resolve the problem. If I am sitting in a dark room the brightness of the screen will constantly adjust from darker to brighter. Sometimes it doesn't do it at all, sometimes its random, and others it just sits there flashing back and forth from dark to bright. I can't stand it and shouldn't have to disable auto brightness to fix it.
Go with whatever phone fits your needs, but I would take these points into consideration.
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Just tested again and the Note 5 actually gets brighter. I was missing the light sensor with my LED flashlight. So yet another point to consider.
I had a Verizon Note 4 prior to purchasing the 6P. I do not use either to the degree SEH6183 uses his and at this time do not have the need for split screen feature. For the life of me I can't see a screen in bright sun and always have to shade them (one of the benefits of getting old). There are a few reasons I made the switch, the first one was all the Verizon bloat on the Note4 and not being able to do anything with it except disable it. Probably the biggest reason is that the 6P can be rooted and have custom ROM's loaded on it (along with the kernels that can be customized). I really enjoy the freedom that this brings and having the ability to have what programs I want on my phone, not being forced to have programs I don't want or like and not being able to do anything about them. The Note 5 is a great phone with some excellent hardware under the hood, but its pretty much what you see is what you get (until it is rooted if it ever is). The 6P is honestly the best phone I have ever owned and am extremely happy.
Olddog828 said:
I had a Verizon Note 4 prior to purchasing the 6P. I do not use either to the degree SEH6183 uses his and at this time do not have the need for split screen feature. For the life of me I can't see a screen in bright sun and always have to shade them (one of the benefits of getting old). There are a few reasons I made the switch, the first one was all the Verizon bloat on the Note4 and not being able to do anything with it except disable it. Probably the biggest reason is that the 6P can be rooted and have custom ROM's loaded on it (along with the kernels that can be customized). I really enjoy the freedom that this brings and having the ability to have what programs I want on my phone, not being forced to have programs I don't want or like and not being able to do anything about them. The Note 5 is a great phone with some excellent hardware under the hood, but its pretty much what you see is what you get (until it is rooted if it ever is). The 6P is honestly the best phone I have ever owned and am extremely happy.
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Only the Verizon and AT&T Note's are unable to be rooted. All other variants on earth can be rooted. However this voids your warranty which SUCKS.
seh6183 said:
I have both the 6p and Note 5 in my posession right now. I've had the Note 5 since launch and the 6p for a week. The 6p is going back.
Between the two phones there is a lot to do with personal preference. First of all I love the multi window function and can't live without it, but others may not use it at all. I personally use it for two very important things. When I'm watching lengthy videos on Youtube I can have the phone in portrait with the video playing on the top half of the screen while I use chrome on the bottom half to research what I am watching. Again, some people may have no need for this. Also, I play a couple games a lot and it is a REAL pain having to exit a game just to reply to a text. Google messenger has quick reply, but only in portrait mode and it's not the same as a floating window that you can minimize at anytime which gives you full access to the app. Also something that others may not care about, but important to me. The pen I like as well and surprisingly use it for all kinds of stuff. My real estate agent sends me electronic documents to sign all the time and its a breeze using the pen rather than my stupid finger.
As far as performance goes, the 6p scored higher overall on 3dmark, but the Note 5 won in certain areas. In real world testing however the Note 5 seemed to launch apps a bit faster and there seems to be slightly less lag in gaming. I will point out that I have a rooted Note 5 with a custom kernel and the Nexus is on a custom rom with kernel as well, so take these results with a grain of salt.
Now heres the good part. The Nexus 6p is flawed out of the box (the Note 5 isn't perfect either). The Nexus has audio imbalance from the top and bottom speaker, which is annoying when watching videos in landscape. I corrected this with a custom kernel and adjusted the gain between the two to balance it out. I then noticed it wasn't bright enough in direct sunlight, so I also corrected that using my custom kernel and enabling "high brightness mode". This got the screen even brighter than the Note 5 is capable surprisingly. It sucks that I have to manually toggle it when I go outside rather than it automatically do it like the Note 5 does. I can live with these annoyances, because I can fix them.
Heres what I can't fix and why the phone is going back. The auto brightness on this phone does not work in low light conditions. I have removed the stock autobrightness of the phone and took it over with Lux, and it still did not resolve the problem. If I am sitting in a dark room the brightness of the screen will constantly adjust from darker to brighter. Sometimes it doesn't do it at all, sometimes its random, and others it just sits there flashing back and forth from dark to bright. I can't stand it and shouldn't have to disable auto brightness to fix it.
Go with whatever phone fits your needs, but I would take these points into consideration.
---------- Post added at 01:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:33 PM ----------
Just tested again and the Note 5 actually gets brighter. I was missing the light sensor with my LED flashlight. So yet another point to consider.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for this. I am keeping my 6p, but I'll elaborate why I appreciate your comment.
I too, have had quite a few high end phones from various manufactures. Nexus 5, Note 4, G3, Note 5, S6E+, Nexus 5x, and now the 6p. I hear about about bloatware, and laggyUI'sel.. Folks, this is 2015, not 2012. All that jazz about the stuff I just mentioned is Nexus fanboy gripes. Don't get me wrong, I've always been partial to Nexus phones for the ROM community and have always loved it's line of phones. But what people need to realize is that the improvements in processing power in this year's high end phones have made their phones just as far as Nexus phones are. I'll use the Samsung Note 5 as a comparison example. Yea, proper mighty not like the appearance of Touchwiz, but it's just as speedy as 6p. The Note 5 has so many useful features such as split view, S-pen, sidesync, etc.
Each device has its own features to offer, I really do miss the Note 5 there most of all three phones I've had, but that doesn't mean I don't like my 6p cuz I love it. For me I like the simplicity of the UI and how it plays with my Chromecast and Nexus player more smoothly than three other phones I've had. Plus I look forward to rooting and ROM'ing my phone. I'm truly impressed with the camera as part Nexus devices have been horrid, but there 6p bucked that trend.
If you guys have questions about the devices I listed and have actually owned, just ask me and I'll give you an unbiased opinion.

Concerns? Dislikes? Buyer's Remorse?

Anyone disappointed in a few things like I am?
1. Regardless of how you feel, Verizon removing things and adding even more bloatware is beyond nasty. It's low.
2. The battery life is average at best.
3. There is lags. It's there. Apps open slow, typical Samsung UI stuff. It'll never change.
4. I just don't like the edge. It offers nothing and makes hitting a button close to it awkward. Not to mention cases are just bleh due to trying to fit around it.
5. The S-pen has a smaller tip, but I find it less responsive than it used to be.
6. New theme store is meh. Themes I purchased on my s6 aren't there. I think this feature will improve though.
I like the phone, but it definitely doesn't wow me like the Note 3 and Note 4.
Sent from my SM-N930V using XDA-Developers mobile app
I am having way better battery life on the Note 7 than my Galaxy 7. I haven't noticed any lag. I agree, the "edge" is a gimmick.
Biggest issue: No AdBlock. Jesus, how do people use the internet without adblock
Hunt4m3x said:
I am having way better battery life on the Note 7 than my Galaxy 7. I haven't noticed any lag. I agree, the "edge" is a gimmick.
Biggest issue: No AdBlock. Jesus, how do people use the internet without adblock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should use Samsung's browser and use the adblock extension. It is amazing.
Hunt4m3x said:
I am having way better battery life on the Note 7 than my Galaxy 7. I haven't noticed any lag. I agree, the "edge" is a gimmick.
Biggest issue: No AdBlock. Jesus, how do people use the internet without adblock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might have to get rid of it for that. Hope it gets root, dont care about the bootloader. Can't live with the endless ads in apps
thewagdy said:
You should use Samsung's browser and use the adblock extension. It is amazing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have but other apps have ads etc.
Hunt4m3x said:
I have but other apps have ads etc.
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Click to collapse
I use Adgaurd on my note 5. Plan on using it on the Note 7 if i go for it. Works great. On the web and on apps.
Bsober said:
I use Adgaurd on my note 5. Plan on using it on the Note 7 if i go for it. Works great. On the web and on apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Adguard on occasion as it sometimes bogs down the phone. Love/hate relationship with it.
Well, I get way better battery life than any phone I've ever owned. I end almost every day at 50% and I used to charge by 6pm. Apps open faster than any phone I've ever had and have no lag so far. I love the edge for quick weather and sports scores. I don't love finding a screen protector and case that play nice together. The s-pen seems WAY better to me. I don't use the theme store so I can't comment there. So far, I adore this phone.
Sent from my SM-N930V using XDA-Developers mobile app
Apparently you guys have never had a Nexus. This phone is good, but it does have lag issues that it just shouldn't have in 2016.
And when I say edge, I dont mean edges apps. You don't need to have an edge screen to use the apps you mentioned. They would work just fine if not better on a flat screen like the quick tools Samsung used to use
Not being a jerk, but every phone that gets released, people make wild claims like " 8 day battery life, fastest phone in the world" blah blah. To be fair, there is always someone who makes a thread like this as well. I'm that someone this time.
I like the phone, but it really isn't the holy grail it was made out to be... I feel like it needs an update to clean some stuff up
Sent from my SM-N930V using XDA-Developers mobile app
I like the phone but I don't think it's a huge upgrade over my s7e. I think I'm going to return it and just keep my s7e. Kind of sick of Verizon for removing helpful features from this phone that were meant to be there.
Rippley05 said:
Apparently you guys have never had a Nexus. This phone is good, but it does have lag issues that it just shouldn't have in 2016.
And when I say edge, I dont mean edges apps. You don't need to have an edge screen to use the apps you mentioned. They would work just fine if not better on a flat screen like the quick tools Samsung used to use
Not being a jerk, but every phone that gets released, people make wild claims like " 8 day battery life, fastest phone in the world" blah blah. To be fair, there is always someone who makes a thread like this as well. I'm that someone this time.
I like the phone, but it really isn't the holy grail it was made out to be... I feel like it needs an update to clean some stuff up
Sent from my SM-N930V using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a Nexus 6. This blows the doors off of it speed wise. I can actually open the camera and take a picture, answer a phone call, and not have the unlock screen take about 15 seconds to actually unlock.
Makes me wonder if I had a bad device all along. It wasn't like that at first though. Somewhere after 6.0 it slowed down and never recovered regardless of factory resetting.
---------- Post added at 07:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:41 PM ----------
Concerns:
Future updates, but I knew what I was getting into.
The durability of GG5, but the whole issue may be overblown...time will tell.
Dislikes:
The screen protector I bought. There is already dust under it. Not to mention it must have lifted off the center, as I miss keys all the time. I will sit tight for a while on it and see what else comes out over the next month or so.
Samsung Keyboard - I like Google Keyboard for typing, Samsung S-Pen input for writing, and Google Voice Keyboard. No way to get this combo easily.
Price was steep for this phone, but you get what you pay for. I wanted premium, and got premium.
Buyer's Remorse
Nope. None.
I miss the Ascending Ringtone Volume setting. I can't find it in VZN Note 7. All the good basic ring tones are gone, too.
Someone PLEASE unlock the boot loader on this phone.
Really wasn't expecting to see the different ui was actually looking forward to the new one as this phone was supposed to have the grace ui , so very disappointed in that as it was a feature that was a factor in my buying it its more or less the s7 rebuilt as a note with edge panels, so Im annoyed there. I also don't like the fact that I had to make a custom shortcut for the Samsung cloud service when that was also a feature which was a deciding factor for getting this phone , all in all don't get me wrong the phone is beautiful it runs like a dream its screen is fantastic etc. but I really disagree with the feature removal , the device maintenance app , and the difference in ui these are things that were supposed to make this phone unique and there not there , I mean I really like it but im annoyed at the same time if that makes sense lol. What really sucks is I gave my s7 to my wife and shes ecstatic about it so I cant really return it now cause shes now one with the s7. That and i traded in her old phone.
I agree DBCAB. I don't know what is different in the UI aside from a slightly different settings menu. Is there more?
I am also sick of Verizon. There is just no other carrier with a signal here. They're the reason I went Nexus and tried an iPhone. You never know what features they're going to remove or bloat they're going to force when it comes the all other Android phones.
Sent from my SM-N930V using XDA-Developers mobile app
I'm not thrilled about Verizon, the way they tamper with what is already a somewhat compromised ROM is vile. Their latest security update had crapware in it. What more can you say?
The phone is amazing, imo. It absolutely kills the Note 4 which I had, it's not even comparable. I'm using a Nexus 6P, I swore on all that is holy I would never use a locked up Samsung phone again and I can barely put this down. It looks better than any phone I've ever seen, the software is actually...dare I say it, useful? Even the damn iris scanner works well. It's not laggy (yet), and I'm getting better battery than my Nexus. I missed the stylus. I don't know if I can bear a locked down phone, but this is the only one I've tried that makes me think about it A LOT.
My only dislike is how gdamn hard I have to work against Verizon and Samsung to get the most out of it. Sneaking to get Samsung Cloud, downloading an older, superior version of SNote with full capability (wtf is that about?!). Otherwise, wow, quite a phone and I was prepared to hate it loudly.
PsiPhiDan said:
Well, I get way better battery life than any phone I've ever owned. I end almost every day at 50% and I used to charge by 6pm. Apps open faster than any phone I've ever had and have no lag so far. I love the edge for quick weather and sports scores. I don't love finding a screen protector and case that play nice together. The s-pen seems WAY better to me. I don't use the theme store so I can't comment there. So far, I adore this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you using for sports scores?
taz1458 said:
What are you using for sports scores?
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Click to collapse
Just the standard yahoo sports one. When you click on the little gear symbol to customize the edge screens you want, Yahoo is literally the first one I can select. It's pretty basic but I like it for my baseball scores at a glance.
Sent from my SM-N930V using XDA-Developers mobile app
The $900 price tag got to me along with the edge screen so I returned mine for a Galaxy J3 lol. Seriously the Note 7 is nice but between what Verizon dose and the limited choice of screen protectors that stick and cases that do not peal them off made me return the device. I'm looking to ditch Verizon all together so I opted for the cheapest smartphone they had in stock to fulfill my device payment agreement. Surprisingly the J3 isn't all that bad for what I do on the phone.
Misterxtc said:
The $900 price tag got to me along with the edge screen so I returned mine for a Galaxy J3 lol. Seriously the Note 7 is nice but between what Verizon dose and the limited choice of screen protectors that stick and cases that do not peal them off made me return the device. I'm looking to ditch Verizon all together so I opted for the cheapest smartphone they had in stock to fulfill my device payment agreement. Surprisingly the J3 isn't all that bad for what I do on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't expect early cases and screen protectors to be perfect til people got a chance to beat on them. I still ordered them though and just got them in today, at least get some protection.
jjayzx said:
I wouldn't expect early cases and screen protectors to be perfect til people got a chance to beat on them. I still ordered them though and just got them in today, at least get some protection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's going to be the same as the S7 Edge I just traded in. Not too many choices.

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the , all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
it's what mi9 should have been, in everything except the CPU. It's too bad they used 710 instead of 712 due to the mi9 se. However, the cc9 is still probably the most "well rounded" package from the entire xiaomi line. High quality, great design, great cameras front and back, large battery, light weight, OLED, etc. Just love it. It's something I wanted out of a Mi9 but was let down with that battery. wish there's going to be more community support though, which looks a bit thin right now.
seities said:
it's what mi9 should have been, in everything except the CPU. It's too bad they used 710 instead of 712 due to the mi9 se. However, the cc9 is still probably the most "well rounded" package from the entire xiaomi line. High quality, great design, great cameras front and back, large battery, light weight, OLED, etc. Just love it. It's something I wanted out of a Mi9 but was let down with that battery. wish there's going to be more community support though, which looks a bit thin right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely, completely ditto. The only thing holding this phone back is the lacking developer community behind it. Even so, the only thing that's keeping me from using the excellent Android 10 GSI linked in the guides is the lackluster camera performances. Honestly, that wouldn't have been a problem if I still had my Whyred since that phone's camera was "meh" at best, but not enjoying this camera to the fullest feels like a sin!
I'm liking mine a lot, screen is nice, as is the fingerprint scanner. Photos are fine, now that I've removed the watermark. Seriously, who WANTS to brand their photos with a manufacturer's watermark?
I can even cope with the notch, which did concern me. The IR blaster is a nice thing, but would be a lot better if it had an Xbox media remote profile added.
I've ones minor irritation. And it's really bothering me. There's a chime that sounds every now and then that I can't switch off. It's a descending sequence of beeps, like when a usb stick is unplugged.
No visual notification, but it can happen in quick succession, and even happens when watching something on Netflix over bluetooth headphones.
It usually comes when the screen is switched on.
Any ideas? Is there a system log file for audio?
Sorted it! It was the NFC talking to my debit cards. NFC off, and annoying MIUI chime noise gone.
Now to figure out Google pay.
That's odd. No equaliser when using Bluetooth ear buds.
Any workarounds? I could do with a bit more bass on the t-elf buds.
Or, do I need to get into ROMs? Haven't flashed a phone in years!
Wildefalcon said:
I can even cope with the notch, which did concern me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is ”the notch”? Do you have protective glass? I'm worried that fingerprint scanner won't work well over protective glass... How's MIUI 11? Does Revolut work on this phone?
---------- Post added at 05:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:41 PM ----------
iuliusdeblobbis said:
Absolutely, completely ditto. The only thing holding this phone back is the lacking developer community behind it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was considering Redmi Note 8 Pro but gave up that because MTK processor, no drivers which means very small developing community. That's why I choose Mi 9 Lite and now you say that there will not much developing for this phone...
axlina said:
What is ”the notch”? Do you have protective glass? I'm worried that fingerprint scanner won't work well over protective glass... How's MIUI 11? Does Revolut work on this phone?
---------- Post added at 05:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:41 PM ----------
I was considering Redmi Note 8 Pro but gave up that because MTK processor, no drivers which means very small developing community. That's why I choose Mi 9 Lite and now you say that there will not much developing for this phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not saying that there won't be a development community to back this phone. I'm saying that right now this phone doesn't have the support that other Xiaomi devices, like the RN5 or RN7, have.
I'm sure that, as time goes on, the community will get up to speed. In the mean time, @gringo80 has been mantaining a functional and frequently updated build of LineageOS, and even if that isn't your ROM of choice most GSIs works very well.
The notch is the "cut out" for the front facing camera.
I've a glass screen protector on the front, and the fingerprint scanner still works, but I think that is not as good as it was without the protector. I'm not taking it off, mind, as my phones have a hard life.
Wildefalcon said:
The notch is the "cut out" for the front facing camera.
I've a glass screen protector on the front, and the fingerprint scanner still works, but I think that is not as good as it was without the protector. I'm not taking it off, mind, as my phones have a hard life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems that screen protector is slowing response of scanner a little. However when I had added fingerprints again with protector in place seems fine again. Maybe split-second difference
Sent from my Mi 9 Lite using Tapatalk
I FREAKING LOVE THIS PHONE! period! There is nothing out there for around 200 bucks which can compete!
Battery drain, some bug on MIUI 11
franave said:
Battery drain, some bug on MIUI 11
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im on MIUI 11 currently and i have no problem getting 3 days uptime and 10h SOT, dont think it's too bad for 4000mAh battery.
The phone arrives today.
I was googleing, trying to find way to root phone without unlocking bootloader. can anyone pplease help, post a link to a thread or anything. I will unlock bootloader but getting approved is a process and i want to root in right out of the box.
If rooted and with unlocked bootloader, can anyone confirm that Revolut works or doesn't work?
Wish you all the best in a New Year.
k3lcior said:
Im on MIUI 11 currently and i have no problem getting 3 days uptime and 10h SOT, dont think it's too bad for 4000mAh battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good for you. I'm really disappointed about the battery life.
Hi all,
Coming from Samsung S and Note lines, I decided to move because the flagships are now so expensive.
So I looked for a similar device. My main points were :
- Affordable
- Gorilla glass 5 at least
- Amoled
- Metal frame
- Non mediatek chipset
- Good battery life
- Recent
I had not a large choice according to the availability in the country (Madagascar). Official resellers prices are too high so I had to manage with some unofficial business which have not so much stocks.
A lot of Xiaomi available but not enough for me : mediatek chipset, gorilla 3 one side, plastic frame and back... Until I saw a Mi 9 Lite ad, and after having check the specs, that was what I looked for, matching my needs.
So here I am... Bought the 02/06/2020
Good packaging, but it misses headset.
I loooove it so much
Welcome to Xiaomi family!
I bought a Mi 9 Lite earlier this month when my veteran Oneplus X finally vibrated itself off the kitchen counter and its mortal coil after enduring ~4 years of abuse. As someone who doesn't care about all the bells and whistles and just wants a solid phone that won't break the bank, here is my mini review:
1) Design and build quality: Top notch. If I was handed this phone without any prior knowledge and told it costs 700€, I wouldn't question it for a second. Every single other phone I've found in this price range has an ugly chin bezel and plastic frame/back. The phone industry had pretty much abandoned plastic in favor of more premium materials on all but the cheapest phones, but for some reason plastic became acceptable again early last year. Glad to see Xiaomi sticking to aluminium and glass on its midrangers.
2) The screen is just stunning. It's sharp, color accurate and immersive with relatively tiny bezels. I'd pretty much sworn off LCDs after my first AMOLED phone, and I'm glad I didn't compromise this time either. The advantages are too great compared to the shortcomings of the technology.
3) The hardware: 6GB RAM is pretty hard to find on most midrange phones, let alone those that cost less than 250€. I'm not into mobile gaming so I've never really pushed the CPU and GPU to its limits, but for day to day use the Snapdragon 710 is absolutely powerful enough. Everything from web browsing to scrolling through social media or watching videos feels snappy and stutter-free. The battery is massive and I can easily go 2 days without recharging, and when I do need to recharge the battery fills up pretty fast.
4) The camera. I'm not really a shutterbug, so the camera specs aren't a top priority for me when shopping for a smartphone, but the photos seem sharp enough and color representation is fine. Video stabilization leaves a bit to be desired, however.
5) Last but certainly not least, the software. I can't really say I'm a fan of MIUI. Maybe I'm too accustomed to lighter ROMs like Oxygen OS and Lineage OS, but the MIUI interface just feels like it's trying too hard to be IOS. Thankfully the launcher recieved an update recently that brings back the familiar app drawer. Some of the bloatware can be uninstalled, while most of it can't. Also, the ads. Pretty much every preinstalled app serves you ads (fullscreen and banner). I get that ads are fundamental to Xiaomi's business model, and I appreciate that they can be (somewhat) completely removed, but I cringe when I think of all the less tech savvy people using their Xiaomi phones and getting bombarded with ads every time they want to listen to music or watch a video.
All in all, this is a from me. The Mi 9 Lite isn't perfect, but it's better than any other phone at this price point. The only thing holding it slightly back for me is the software, but that's subjective so not something I'm going to knock a star off over. Besides, there's always custom ROMs ?.

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